Reverse plating mechanism



` Nov. 19, 192.9. R. H. I AwsoN 1,735,970

REVERSE PLATING MEQHANISM Filed May 25. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet l I rave da z RoewHLawaon,

Nov. 19, 1929. R. H. LAWSON A 1,735,970

REVERSE PLATING MECHNISM Filed May 25, l1926 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Eiga.

. 12T/venan- Rozef/ZIJLaw/vsow @5,7 Wfwgg Nov. 19, 1929. R. H. LAWSON REVERSE PLATINE MEGHANISM Filed May 26. 1926 4 Sheets-Sheet Inve/o 71 Nov. 19, 1929. R. H. LAWSON REVERSE PLATING MECHANISM -4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May 26, 1926 MH Boalnlfi' y 37. yi,

Patented Nov. 19, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT? OFFICE ROBERT H. LAWSON, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR Ty HEMPHILL COM- PAN Y, 0F CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS REVERSE PLATING MECHANISM Application filed May 26,

This invention relates to improved means for effecting reverse plating, particularly in machines having independently operated needles.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, I have disclosed certain embodiments thereof in the accompanying drawings, wherein- F ig. 1 is a rear elevation of a circular knitting machine having my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a detail showing in rear elevation a portion of the mechanism of my invention;

Fig. 3 is a detail in side elevation viewing Fig. 2 from the left;

Fig. 4 is a similar detail but viewing Fig. 2 from the right;

Fig. 5 is a plan view representind the arrangement of cams and casting of? mechanism in a machine of the character chosen for illustration Fig. 6 is a vertical central section of the structure shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 represents in side elevation four different positions of a special web holder and the adjacent needles in the formation of a reversely plated loop;

Fig. 7 a represents in side elevation a needle and the two plating yarns in successive positions in the formation of reverse plating;

Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively a perspective view and a front elevation of special web holders of the character shown in Fig. 7 in grouped arrangement, certain regular web holders also being shown;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 7 but showing a somewhat modified form of special web holder;

Figs. 11 and 12 are views respectively like Figs. 8 and 9 but showing that form of special web holder represented in Fig. 10.

In my Reissue Patent No. 16,584, dated April 5, 1927, I have disclosed means for effecting reverse plating by the action of casting off mechanism, and thereby I effected Lbands or blocks extending lengthwise the 1926. Serial No. 111,770

striping extending lengthwise the hosiery or other knitted article. In the present application, I have disclosed means for effecting reverse plating through the action of special web holders, and I provide means for shifting or altering during the knitting operation the point or points at which the reverse plating is effected. In the disclosed embodiment of the invention the plating is effected in lines,

. the two plating yarns at predetermined times.

In accordance with my invention the plating of the fabric throughout the whole or a predetermined eXtent thereof is eected in any usual manner and at predetermined lengthwise extending areas I effect a reversal of the plating operation. That is, upon certain predetermined parts of the plated work, I cause one of the threads to appear upon the outer face of the fabric, and in other parts I cause the other thread to appear upon the said outer face thereof, thus securing lengthwise striping. Such striping may be characterized by continuous or long stripes, or by short or interrupted stripes, or various combinations ofcontinuous and interrupted stripes may be resorted to, as more fully described and as illustrated in my said Reissue Patent 85 No. 16,584.

I operate with independent needles between which are positioned casting off instrumentalities herein shown as web holders, and when no vertical striping is to be effected,

all said web holders or instrumentalit-ies act in what may be termed a normal manner, so that what I may term normal plating results. Certain of said web holders or instrumentalivties are, however, of peculiar formation, and when reverse plating is to be produced, such web holders or instrumentalities of special formation are projected inward at an earlier' point circumferentially considered, so as to 'engage the yarn which was the back yarn during normal plating, and so to position the same that it becomes the face or front yarn. By the employment of suitable means, preferably automatic, the normal plating may be interrupted at any point, and reverse. plating may be effected at any desired wale or wales and continued for as few or for as. many courses as desired, then to be replaced by normal plating.

Such normal and reverse plating are effected without any change in the relative tension of the two yarns and no measuring of the yarn is effected in the formation of the loops, as is characteristic of full fashioned machines.

The machine herein shown as one upon which my invention may be practised need not be specifically described inasmuch as it is shown as the well known Banner or Hemphill machine. Briefly, it is to be noted that the machine is of the independent needle type and that the needles are desirably latch needles. Therefore I provide upon a suitable framework 1, as rpon a standard 2 rising from the bed plate 3 thereof, a latch ring 4 equipped with suitable binder mechanism generally 1ndicated at 5, and operatively connected to link and lever mechanism 6 controlled from the pattern drum 7 upon the pattern drum shaft 8. lThe entire mechanism is driven from the main shaft 9 having thereon the usual pulleys 10 and also the usual gearing for imparting rotary and reciprocating movements in a well known manner. The mechanism is also'provided with the usual narrowing pickers and the usual widening pickers, one each of which is indicated at 11, 12 respectively. These pickers are desirably those of vthe said Banner machine and require no further description. The needle cylinder is indicated at 18 and within the grooves thereof are received the independently operated latch needles 14. At the upper end of the needle cylinder is provided the web holder receiving and operatingmachanism which is generally similar to that of the Banner machine, but altered in accordance with my invention. 'I have herein shown the web holder bed ring at 15; Positioned thereabove is the cam ring 16 shown most clearly in Figs. 5 and 6. The web holder bed ring is provided with the usual radial 4grooves within which are located` at the points where normal plating is always to occur, web holders or like instrumentalistance, as indicated as positioned at desired points among the special web holders in Figs. 8, 11 and elsewhere.

Viewing Fig. 2, it will be observed that I have provided substantially as usual the brackets 18, 19 which cooperate with the stationary upstanding bracket 2 in suitably positioning the sinker or web 'holder cam ring for reciprocating knitting. f

I provide certain operating mechanisrn'for so positioning the special web holders as to move the same radially inward at an earlier point, as hereinbefore referred to, and herein for the purpose I provide two levers which act upon said specially shaped web holders which for the purpose of leveractuation are made of two contrasting shapes at their outer ends or butts so as to permit each lever to act only upon the special web holders pertaining thereto, and arranged singly or in groups as desired throughout the circle of needles; and desir-ablyy I mount and position these two or other desired number of levers in a manner similar to that shown in my Said Reissue Patent No. 16,584, although I am not limited to such arrangement.

The regular web holders, as already stated, are indicated at 17, and they are provided with the usual butts or tails so as to be acted upon by the stationary web holder cams most clearly indicated in Fig. 5 at 20, 21, 22, 23. They may be varied in form in accordance with operating conditions, and my invention is in no wise limited to the particular form thereof shown. Each such web holder (within which definition I include the socalled sinker) is mounted for in and out or radial sliding movement in a groove of the web holder bed ring 15, and in other radial grooves of said bed ring and distributed in such grooves as desired (butin no case in the same groove as a regular web holder, though my invention is not necessarily limited in this respect) are provided the web holders ofspecial form which I will refer to more fully hereinafter.

Referring to that form of special web holder shown in Fig. 7, it is to be noted that such specially formed web holder is indicated at 24, and is provided with a butt or tail 25 upstanding therefrom. Although I have shown in saidgure but one height or length of tail or butt 25, it is to be understood that when employing two operatingI levers, I provide contrastingly formed tails or butts, desir-ably distinguished in height.

Said special form of web holder 24 is provided with a prolonged inclined face 26 sloping upwardly and rearwardly, and at its lower end terminating in a nose 27, below which is a relatively short horizontal slot or recess 28. Said web holder is provided with a forwardly extending upper nib 29 and a lower nib 30.

-In practice the edge or face 26 is adapted to engage the back yarn in normal plating and to push the same inward so that it becomes the face yarn for reverse plating. As the adjacent neede is moved downward in its needle groove, the yarn which is engaging 'said face 26 is looped somewhat over 'said .face or edge, and at the same time is so acted upon as to cause it to assume the successive positions indicated in Figs. 7 and 7a.

Radially outside of the cam point 22 of the sinker cam ring and at such a point as to engage the outer end portion or butt 25 or the like of the speeial'web holders, are provided two levers 31, 32 pivoted at 33 upon a suitable bracket or part of the machine, herein the web holder cam ring. The short ends 31', 32 of said levers are actively engaged by springs 31" 32 tending normally to force the opposite or functioning end of said levers outward1y. 'Ihe inner or opposite end of said levers 31, 32 are here shown as having cam formations or faces which are normally moved out of functioning relation or position into outer or non-functioning position (that is, for normal plating) by means of said springs 31, 32, it being understood that the function of said cam formations is to move the special web holders inward so as to cause them to push the back thread of normal pl-ating into position to be the face thread of reverse plating. I provide means preferably acting automatically to move the longer ends of said levers 31, 32 inwardly, and for that purpose is shown the following mechanism, to which my invention is in no wise restricted and which may he and desirahly is substantially the same as that shown in my said co-pending application, now Reissue Patent No. 16,584.

As most clearl shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, I provide a brac ret or standard 34 in which are mounted for sliding movement two bars 35, 36 of which the overlying or upper bar strikes a suitable pin 37 (see Fig. 5) upon the overlying cam lever 32 and the lower bar 36 strikes a pin 38 upon the underlying cam lever 31. Thus at times determined by the respective. controlling means for the said bars, one or the other of the said cams 31, 32 is moved radiallyV inward suiiiciently for it to cause the special web holders controlled by it to engage the back yarn and effect reverse plating in a manner already referred to.

Each bar 35, 36 is connected by a pin, one of which is indicated at 39 in Fig. 5 to the proper lever 40, 41, pivoted at 42 upon the framingof the machine so as to be swung in a horizontal plane at the proper time. Said levers, which are also indicated generally in Fig. 1, are notched or suitably formed at their outer ends to be 4engaged by the ends i 43, 440i' bell crank levers pivoted at 45 upon the bracket-34, and are respectively connected at 46, 47 to downwardly extending links 48, 49 which, as shown in Fig. 1 extend downward to controlling pattern disks or members 50, 51 upon the pattern shaft 8. Said disks or members 50, 51 are of proper shape to impart the in and out movement to said cam levers 43, 44, at the predetermined time so as in the operation of the mechanism to cause reverse plating to occur whenever either of said levers 43, 44, or both of them, is or are moved inwardly. If the article being knitted is a hose or stocking the said disk members 50, 51, are desirably so shaped as to cause reverse plating to cease during heel and toe work, and at that time a special heel and toe yarn is or may be introduced.

In Figs. 9, 12, I have represented in elevation thefeeding of twoA yarns in plating relation, namely, the black yarn 52 which in normal plating is the back yarn, and the white yarn 53 which in normal plating is the face yarn. These two yarns are supplied through corresponding yarn guides 52', 53 mounted in the usual manner with the group of yarn guides of the Banner machine so as to enter the throat thereof in a well understood manner. In proper relation to the said yarn guides and needles are positioned the knitting cams not herein shown, but which are desirably of the usual type in the Banner machine.

Desirably the regular web holders are provided with short upwardly extending butts and the special web holders interspersed thereamong or arranged as desired to provide the predetermined pattern, are provided with longer butts, and said longer butts are contrastingly shaped among themselves so as to cooperate respectively with the cam portions of the levers 31, 32. i

Referring now to that form of special wel holder shown in Figs. 7 and 8, it is to be understood that the butt 25 thereof is to be operated upon by the regular fixed cams 20, 21, 22, 2'3 of the web holder cam ring so long as said special web holders act in forming normal plating, but when they are to be pushed in atan earlier vpoint circunlferentially considered, as indicated in Fig. 5, they are then acted upon'by the cam portion of whichever lever 31, 32 is apportioned thereto. In other words, if the butts or heels 25 of these special web holders are medium and long respectively, then the medium length butts are acted upon by the lower cam lever 31 and the longer butts are operated on by the upper lever Within the scope of my invention but a single lever 31 or 32 or a single instrumentality. for the purpose may act upon all the special web holders, this being determined in accordance with the simplicity or complexity of the pattern.

If a stocking without the vertical striping is desired, that is, if solid, or what I herein term normal plating, is to be provided, all of the web holders including the special web holders, are moved inwardly to the same ravin the creation of reverse plating to engage the black yarn 52 which in normal plating 1s the back yarn, so as to move the same inwardly in advance of the white yarn 53 which had appeared at the front in normal plating. The result is to produce stripes of a width determined by the number of consecutive special 15 `Web holders, and of a length dependent u pon vthe length of time the cam lever 31 or 32 1s 1n its inner radial position, and which in turn is dependent upon the pattern control.

Viewing Figs. 9, 12, it is to be understood that the yarn shown at 52, being more to the left in each of said figures, is fed without tension and that the yarn 53 is tensioned as by tension'diskssuch as shown in said copending application now Reissue Patent No. 16,584. It will also be observed that the yarn 53 which in normal plating appears at the front or outer face of the fabric is introduced slightly in advance circumferentially of the yarn 52.v The tension upon the yarn 53 is mai-ntained at all times when normal or reverse plating is being effected.`

Referring to Fig. 7 it has been pointed out that therein I show diferent positions assumed in reverse plating by a form of special web holders. It will be understood that in plating, the yarn to the front of the needles is the one which appears on the back (inside) of the finished stocking or other article. In

l normal plating, this is the yarn which is without tension, andthe other yarn which is under tension appears on the outside or face of the finished stocking or other article.

In normal plating the front yarn, under tension, strikes the needles more quickly, and lower downen the stems thereof than does the back yarn, but the back yarn first engages the needles higher up and it may be in the hooks thereof. The said frontV yarn as, for example, the yarn 53 will get up into the hook of each needle last and will act as a wedge to force the back yarn toward the front of the hook of the needle.

In reverse plating, there is no change in the tension of the front yarn and the other yarn is still permitted to be fed without tension, but the nose of the special web holder as. for example, the nose 27 of the special web holder 24 of Fig. 7, entering between the two yarns instead of under said yarns, as in normal plating, causes a reversal in the position of the two yarns.

In that form of special web holder shown in Fig. 7 lthe inclined face 26 is a straight line extending at an angle of about forty ive degrees upwardly and backwardly from a somewhat rounded point'27. At itsupper end the said edge 26 terminates in a relatively sharp point 54back of which is a rounded rear edge 55 extending downwardly and merging into the vertical face 56.

While my invention .is not limited to any particular gauge of machine or to use with any articular size of yarn, I have found'that the orm of special web holder shown in Fig. 7 is particularly adapted with fine gauge yarn, the back yarn looping over the inclined edge 26 and being wedged or moved into proper position.

In that form of special web holder shown in Figs. 10, 11 and 12, the web holder 57 is provided with a relatively short upwardlyV and rearwardly inclined edge 58 merging into an upwardly and rearwardly curved edge 59 which is continued in a substantially unbroken curve as shown until it merges into thev vertical back edge 60. The said edge 58 terminates in a sharp nose 61 below which is a downwardly and rearwardly slo )ing edge 62 at about the same angle as the edge 58 and terminating in the slot 63 which is relatively deep and narrow. shape here shown is found in practice also to act upon the back yarn in the manner described and as illustrated in several views so as to eii'ect reverse plating.

While my invention is not limited thereto, it is to be noted that the needle 14 in Fig. 7 is of the forward hook type.

I do not herein `claim what is claimed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 149,- 952, filed November 22, 1926, now Patent No. 1,627,290, dated May 3, 1927, and the subject-matter whereof was originally disclosed in the specification and drawings of this application.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of my invention, I desire it to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptitive sense and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims- 1. An instrumentality for use in eifecting lengthwise striping in plated, knitted work adapted to be positioned between adjacent The web lholder of the needles and adapted for in and out movei head provided with an edge positioned to engage the back yarn of the two plating yarns and upon inward movement to move said back yarn into position to become the 3. An instrumentality for use in eifecting lengthwise striping in plated, knitted work adapted to be positioned between adjacent needles and adapted for in and out movement with respect to said needles and having a head provided with an edge positioned to engage the back yarn of the two plating yarns and upon inward movement to move said back yarn into position to become the face yarn of the stripe, said edge extending from the front wall of a horizontal recess alon a straight line upwardly and backwarcy at an angle of about forty ve degrees Where it meets the rear edge of the head at a relatively sharp point.

4. Mechanism for producing lengthwise, striped, plated, knitted fabric comprising y1n combination, a series of independent needles, means to feed two yarns thereto in plating relation, and instrumentalities distinct from said needles for engaging the normal back yarn and pushing only said yarn, thereby bringing it into a position to become the face yarn at said lengthwise stripes only, each instrumentality being received in a separate groove for in and out movement between needles and having a recess from which the pushing edge of each instrumentality extends upwardly and rearwardly to the top of the instrumentality.

5. Mechanism for producing lengthwise, striped, plated, knitted fabric comprising in combination, a series of independent needles, means to feed two yarns thereto in plating relation, and instrumentalities distinct from said needles for engaging the normal back yarn and pushing only said yarn, thereby bringing it into a position to become the face yarn at said lengthwise stripes only, each instrumentality being received in a separate groove for in and out movement between needles and having a recess terminating at its upper edge in a relatively sharp nose from which the pushing edge slopes upwardly and backwardly along a straight line to the top of the instrumentality.

6. Mechanism for producing lengthwise, striped, plated, knitted fabric comprising in combination, a series of independent needles, means to feed two yarns thereto in plating relation, and instrumentalities distinct from said needles for engaging the normal back yarn and pushing only said yarn, thereby bringing it into a position to become the face yarn of said lengthwise stripes only, each instrumentality being received in a separate groove for in and out movement between needles and having a recess from which the pushing edge of each instrumentality extends upwardly and rearwardly to the top of the instrumentality, and selectively controlled means for moving said instrumentalities inward, transverse -to the needle series, at an abnormally early point in the stitch forming operation.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specilication.

ROBERT H. LAVSON. 

